Mississippi Kite Chick in Rockville
William Young
I went with a friend to Welsh Park in Rockville this morning a bit before 11 a.m. to look at the Mississippi Kite nest. As I was setting up my telescope to look at the nest, the male flew into the top of a tall Black Locust tree next to where we were standing. We went to the other side of the tree and watched the male on one of the bare branches near the top of the tree for more than 20 minutes. He preened, and he also opened his wings to sun himself. He made a number of flights to grab large insects, each time returning to the same tree. He ate some of the insects, but once, he caught an insect and accidentally dropped it into the middle of the tree. When he finally left the tree, my friend and I went to look at the nest. We saw the female who had her wings partially open with her back to the sun. She was shielding her chick, who eventually popped up and was visible. I saw only one small chick, and there was no sign of any other chicks in the nest. Pictures are below.
Best,
Bill Young
Kensington, MD
Author of The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat
